More attractive social housing?

The Remortgaging Act passed in 2000 made it possible to provide financial support for renovation and rent reductions in social housing areas with social and/or financial problems. The intention was to make the areas more attractive to both current and potential residents and thereby increase the degree of social integration in the area. This report evaluates the effect of efforts on the satisfaction of residents and on social integration in ten selected residential areas. In 2003, 1,036 randomly selected residents were interviewed. In 2007, 577 were interviewed. The evaluation is based on the responses of the 298 residents who took part in both surveys – before and after the efforts. The evaluation shows that support to vulnerable residential areas results in greater satisfaction among residents. The residents did not feel more safe with regard to walking in the area at night and they had not made more friends among their fellow residents in the period studied. However, they did find that the reputation of their neighbourhood had improved and that there was less need to improve the outdoor facilities. They also felt more encouraged to stay on in the area than before the efforts were implemented.